The Chronic Illness Therapist

The Chronic Illness Therapist - Coaching Services: monthly memberships for folks with chronic health conditions
- Counseling Services: Therapy Intensives for residents of GA, FL, and CO

We didn’t just look for big names. We looked for the gaps.When we curated the lineup for The Chronic Illness Therapists ...
01/23/2026

We didn’t just look for big names. We looked for the gaps.

When we curated the lineup for The Chronic Illness Therapists Conference, we asked:

What are the conversations clinicians are afraid to have?

Where are the blind spots in our grad school training?

& the result was curriculum that covers the full spectrum of chronic illness—from the financial to the physical, the sexual to the systemic.

✨ March 6-7 in Atlanta (+ virtual option)

You’ll learn from experts tackling:
* Body partnership vs. body betrayal (with a DPT who gets it)
* Supporting clients in diagnostic limbo when the medical system hasn’t caught up to their suffering
* Financial therapy for medical costs that drain bank accounts and fracture families
* The “Invisible Patient”—caregivers managing complex medical needs
* Kink & disability, neurodivergent clinicians, pediatric medical trauma, and more

Whether you’re joining us in person or virtually, you’re about to be part of a community that refuses to stay on the surface.

Comment CONFERENCE & I’ll send you the link and $100 off code ✨

We can’t wait to see you all learning and growing together!

01/23/2026

We’re flipping the script. My talk at this conference is all about the biological and emotional symptoms that occur BECAUSE OF a lack of diagnosis.

The traditional narrative is that if they can’t find a diagnosis, then you just have anxiety or you’re making it up.

On the contrary, knowing something is wrong inside of your body, and having no answers for it causes anxiety, and it also causes us to have higher and higher responses to the pain inside of our body, which then leads other people to label us as dramatic.

If you’re a therapist or physical therapist, 76% of our country now has at least 1 chronic condition.

You’re working with them in your practices, whether you think you are or not.

We hope you’ll join us and become THE sought-after chronic illness therapist in your own state.

01/11/2026

Today I had the absolute privilege and honor to host a training that 225 therapists signed up for -

That’s 225 therapists purely dedicated to the art and craft that is therapy for people with chronic illnesses when the therapist also has a chronic illness.

The work we do as therapists is highly relational. It’s highly personal. And there’s often a dual process happening inside the therapy space.

To do this work as a lifelong career, supervision and consultation is imperative.

It’s an absolute must, and I wouldn’t be the clinician I am without it.

To join us for 8 in depth presentations over the course of 2 days, comment “CONFERENCE” and I’ll send the registration link for our March conference right to your DMs.

I can’t wait to keep connecting with each and every one of you.

Conference - March 6 & 7 - Atlanta GA and VIRTUAL.

01/03/2026

This year, we’re building something big together. The Chronic Illness Therapists Conference is coming to Atlanta March 6-7, 2026 (& VIRTUAL!) - two days of evidence-based training, community, and real talk about working with chronically ill clients. No fluff, no toxic positivity, just the skills and validation you’ve been missing.

Topics include intimacy, finances, family work, health anxiety, chronically ill youth, and so much more. 13 CEs available!

⭐ Follow .chronicillnesstherapists for 30 days of reels of treatment goals for chronically ill clients that actually work! ⭐

Are you joining us live or virtual in March?!

01/02/2026

Join us at our conference for chronic illness therapists and physical therapists this March!

Self-advocacy in medical appointments is so misunderstood because we assume clients need to overcome their fear of not being believed before they can speak up. While “building confidence” gets a lot of attention, the real therapeutic work is about taking valued action in the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings, not waiting until those thoughts disappear.

Both the fear of being dismissed AND the act of advocating can coexist in the same appointment. They actually HAVE to, because that fear isn’t make-believe. It’s our every day lived reality.

The utter dismissal and gaslighting is real, so waiting to feel “ready” or “confident enough” means they may never speak up. This is why “just be more assertive” feels impossible, and why treatment goals need to acknowledge the psychological barriers while not requiring clients to fix them first.

The key takeaway is that self-advocacy in chronic illness is about action despite fear, not elimination of fear. Understanding that thoughts like “I’m being dramatic” or “they won’t believe me” are based on real experiences allows us to validate those fears while still moving toward what matters - getting appropriate care - and the therapeutic approach needs to measure the behavior (speaking up) rather than the feeling state (confidence).

Therapy goal example: Client will attend medical appointments and communicate at least one health concern or symptom change to their provider in 3 out of 4 appointments, even when self-critical thoughts like “I’m being dramatic” or “they won’t believe me” are present. It’s measurable, acknowledges real barriers, and focuses on what you can control (speaking up) rather than outcomes you can’t (how the doctor responds).

Therapists and physical therapists! Join us at our conference for chronic illness specialists this March!

09/23/2025

Your body might be feeling the collective stress even when you’re “not watching the news.” (Read more👇)

I’m Destiny, a therapist living with chronic illness, and I do a lot of work to help people see and manage their stress loads.

I see this pattern constantly - people trying to protect their mental health by completely shutting off from current events, but still feeling unexplained fatigue, irritability, and that underlying sense of unease.

We’re wired for social connection and awareness. Complete news avoidance might feel safer short-term, but it can actually increase anxiety because your nervous system knows something’s happening - you’re just not getting the information it needs to process.

Sometimes the healthiest choice isn’t complete avoidance, rather it’s intentional, boundaried engagement with what’s happening in our world.

Your nervous system is trying to stay informed to keep you safe. That makes perfect sense given how we’re designed as social beings.

Try this: Choose 2-3 trusted news sources. Check in once or twice daily or weekly, not hourly.

Turn off push notifications- immediately.

The moment you hear the same story for the third time, step away - that’s when the news cycle becomes more harmful than helpful.

Being specific about what you’re feeling (election anxiety, climate grief, social justice fatigue) helps you ask for the exact support you need, rather than just feeling generally “off.”

Your body isn’t wrong, it’s normal, for responding to collective stress.

What helps you stay informed without overwhelming your nervous system? You’re not alone in figuring this out. 👇

Not medical advice - just one chronically ill counselor sharing what I’ve learned about the mind-body connection

Next Saturday: Workshop on how your home environment can support nervous system regulation for chronic illness.I’m bring...
09/18/2025

Next Saturday: Workshop on how your home environment can support nervous system regulation for chronic illness.

I’m bringing you Giovanna Akins, LPC - she works with something I find so important: how the spaces we live in can either support or strain our bodies’ ability to manage symptoms.

Think about it - if you’re already using so much energy to manage symptoms, why not have your home working for you instead of against you?

Giovanna will walk us through research-backed ways to modify your living space that can actually impact things like cortisol levels, sleep quality, and pain perception. We’re talking practical stuff - not expensive renovations or picture-perfect Pinterest boards.

The focus is on what works when you have limited energy, mobility considerations, sensory sensitivities, or a tight budget.

Because real life isn’t Instagram, and your solutions shouldn’t have to be either.

If you’ve ever felt like your space adds to your stress instead of relieving it, this one’s for you.

Details in the carousel above, DM me “environment” for the link or registration link in bio. Let me know if you have questions - always happy to chat about what might be helpful for our community.

Address

1249 Hartford Avenue SW
Atlanta, GA
30310

Telephone

+14049053391

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